Tuesday, October 13, 2015

1) Bayley: There honestly could be no other choice. The best match this week, easily, saw Bayley and Sasha Banks make history by main eventing NXT TakeOver: Respect in the first ever female Ironman match. The match wasn't equal to the excellent one they had in Brooklyn, it was still pretty fantastic. They went for 30 minutes, it was never boring and was actually pretty brutal. Bayley is officially solidified as THE woman in NXT now that the other three "Horsewomen" are on the main roster. I think that in both matches, Sasha outperformed her slightly, but Bayley was the winner both times and the matches did their job in being great and putting Bayley over big time. The fact that two women went out and had my second favorite Ironman match in history (only behind Angle/Lesnar) is a phenomenal feat and both girls absolutely should be commended for their efforts.2) Madison Eagles: While I haven't been able to catch much SHIMMER lately, a big change came this week.Nicole Matthews has reigned at SHIMMER Champion since October of 2014, when she threw a fireball into the face of Madison Eagles to win the gold in a four way match. Their rivalry was hot at the time and a year later, they met in a No Disqualifications match to headline SHIMMER Volume 77. Eagles was able to dethrone Matthews, becoming the second ever two time Champion in the history of the company. Eagles' first reign with the belt was very good and this should be more of the same. For those unaware of her, she trained current NXT star Billie Kay before teaming with her. Eagles is damn good and added to the week by successfully retaining the title on Volume 78 shortly after winning.

3) Sasha Banks: When I originally made this list, I left Sasha Banks off. I thought about the success that other people had during the week and chose to rank them. After thinking it over, I realized that just because Sasha Banks lost at TakeOver: Respect, it doesn't mean she was unsuccessful. She, along with Bayley, certainly made history and she, I believe, outperformed Bayley during the match. Sasha has been giving the big stage several times and has absolutely delivered each and every time. The girl is on another level from any other in company history. She was given an emotional farewell from NXT and should be a major star on the main roster.4) Finn Balor and Samoa Joe: The Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic was a big part of TakeOver: Respect. Baron Corbin and Rhyno defeated Jason Jordan and Chad Gable in the best match of the tournament (and a potential star making performance for Gable and Jordan). Finn Balor and Samoa Joe beat Dash Wilder and Scott Dawson in the Semi-Finals before overcoming Corbin and Rhyno to win the entire tournament. I didn't agree with the booking of the tournament as a whole, but this was an accomplishment that deserved a spot on this list. I'd like to point out how good this week was and I wish I had more than five spots to give some love to Sasha Banks, Asuka and the team of Gable and Jordan.

5) The New Day: I've said it time and time again but it remains true. The best thing about the Raw each week seems to be the New Day. During this week, they showed off a more serious side by viciously attacking Dolph Ziggler before Big E accepted John Cena's US Title Open Challenge. The match itself was decent and Cena retained, but it was what happened next that really helped them make the list. The New Day proceeded to attack Cena. This brought out Ziggler and the Dudeley Boyz, but the New Day would leave all four men laid out in the ring. They got to stand tall to close out Raw, which is something that is only reserved for the top heels in the company. I don't know if I've ever seen a heel turn save a gimmick so well. The New Day went from getting no reaction to top heels in a short period of time.